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You and your students can learn observation and fundamental inquiry skills through this simple routine. “I notice” focuses our attention and helps us articulate and remember our observations. “I wonder” sparks inquiry and invites us to question deeply and broadly. “It reminds me of” leads us to connect what we observe to what we already know, which builds stronger memories. The ability to make useful connections between seemingly unrelated things is an important aspect of creativity, and practicing “It reminds me of” builds this skill. Together, these prompts can change the way you and your students experience the world, offering a routine and practice for learning about anything.

NATURAL PHENOMENAFor the first part of I Notice, I Wonder, It Reminds Me Of (INIWIRMO), focus students’ attention on a small part of nature they can hold in their hand, such as a leaf, pine-cone, acorn, or seed pod. A larger organism that a whole group can observe together, such as a tree, will also work. Then introduce each of the three prompts as described in the “Procedure Step-by-Step” section, giving students time to practice responding to each one before moving on. When students get time to practice using the prompts on their own, any natural area that is safe for them to explore will work.

PROCEDURE SUMMARY1. Make observations (I notice…).

2. Ask questions (I wonder…).

3. Make connections (It reminds me of…).

4. Use all three observation tools to learn about anything interesting to you.

DEMONSTRATIONWhen the white-board icon appears in the procedure description: Write each of the prompts (i.e., the words “I notice…,” “I wonder…,” and “It reminds me of…”) on a whiteboard as you introduce them.

I NOTICE, I WONDER, IT REMINDS ME OFLearning how to observe, ask questions, and make connections in nature is learning how to learn. This powerful routine can be the foundation of exploration, discovery, and wonder in students’ nature study and in any other academic discipline.

Time

Activity: 20–30 minutes

Discussion: 15 minutes

Materials

� Journals and

pencils

optional � Hand lenses

Teaching Notes

Take the time to introduce

this routine to students as

written. Just saying the words

is not enough. The structure of this

activity is designed to offer guided

practice so that students can suc-

cessfully learn and apply these new

skills. The portion of this activity

where students take a few minutes

to study whatever is interesting

to them is essential. Applying the

routine in a new context helps stu-

dents internalize these prompts as

skills. The autonomy to decide what

to explore gives students agency,

engages them in the task, and makes

this way of thinking “their own.”

This “core” routine is the first thing

we do with a group of students in

the outdoors. It sets up a culture of

curiosity and exploration, and gives

students a way to engage with their

surroundings. It also forms the foun-

dation of students’ journaling.

© John Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren 2020 Excerpted from the book How to Teach Nature Journaling,

published by Heyday books.

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PROCEDURE STEP-BY-STEP1. Tell students that you will share some tools and skills that

will help them be better observers.

Note: If the group has a lot of energy and seems to be losing patience with being still, introduce “I notice,” then hike a short distance or give students a moment to run around, then add “I wonder.” Then hike or walk a little further and add “It reminds me of” with another found object. Then give students time to practice all three prompts focused on whatever is interesting to them.

2. Explain the first prompt: “I notice,” and offerexamples

a. “We’ll start by making observations. I know I’mmaking an observation when I start my sentence with thewords ‘I notice…’”

b. “An observation is something perceived through thesenses like sight, smell, touch, hearing, or taste. It is not anopinion about or an identification of an object.”

c. “An example of an observation could be, ‘I notice theveins stick out of the surface of the leaf’ or ‘I notice theside of the leaf feels sharp.’”

3. Tell students that they’ll take the next minute to observetheir leaves (or other object), saying what they notice outloud with a partner.

a. “Take the next minute to come up with as many ‘I notices’as possible, saying all of them out loud to the person nextto you. You all will be surprised by how much you see andremember.”

b. “Anything you see—like shapes, structures, behavior, orcolors—or perceive through your other senses is fair game.

c. “If you get stuck, you can just be silent for a moment, trychanging your perspective, or try using a different sense toobserve. You can also listen to the observations that othersshare, and build on or confirm what you hear. Give it a try.”

4. Give students ~1 minute to say observations out loudwith their partners, then ask a couple of students toshare any interesting observations with the group.

5. Explain the second prompt: “I wonder.”

a. “Now we’re going to focus on asking questions,using the frame ‘I wonder.’”

b. “Start asking questions (‘I wonders’) out loud. Do not beafraid of asking questions. The point is not to answer themnow but just to get them out there. Any question is OK.Saying the question aloud will help you remember it later.”

c. “If no questions come to you, try saying ‘I wonder…’ andsee what fills the silence afterward. A question may come.”

d. “You can also go back to making observations and thenask questions about your observations.”

e. “If you make this a regular practice, questions will flowmore easily. You can make yourself a more curious per-son! Take the next minute to come up with questions,saying them out loud.”

6. Give students ~1 minute to ask questions out loud withtheir partners, then ask a couple of students to share anyinteresting questions with the group.

7. Introduce the third prompt: “It reminds me of.”

a. “Now ask yourself what you are reminded of.Try to come up with as many connections asyou can.”

b. “Is this like something you studied before, observed some-where else, read about, or saw on a nature special?”

c. “Have you seen this kind of object before? Does the shapeor structure look like or remind you of something else?”

d. “Your connections could also be to an experience youwere reminded of. Do you have any other memories thatsurface when you look at this?”

e. “Give yourself permission to be creative and playful. Anyconnection that comes to mind is important to share.”

8. Tell students to take ~1 minute to share “It reminds meofs” with a partner, then give a few students the oppor-tunity to share some of their interesting connections withthe group.

a. “Connecting this new observation to what you alreadyknow will help you remember what you are seeing. Thiscan also help you ask interesting questions.”

b. “Take a minute to make connections and say them outloud.”

9. Ask students to reflect on how much they were able tolearn in just a few minutes of focused attention.

a. “Take a look at your leaf [rock, stick, or other part ofnature]. You were able to learn a lot about that leaf in avery short time, all by making your own observations anddoing your own thinking.”

b. “Look around you at the other natural objects and thingsnearby. There are mysteries and cool things everywhere innature.”

c. “When you have tools for making observations and con-nections and for asking questions, you can learn and dis-cover wherever you go.”

10. Tell students that they’ll have a few minutes to movearound and use their observation skills to learn aboutanything that is interesting to them.

a. “You’re going to have some time to use your new skills tostudy and learn about anything that’s interesting to you inthis area.”

b. “You can be by yourself or in a group of two or three.”

© John Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren 2020 Excerpted from the book How to Teach Nature Journaling,

published by Heyday books.

38

c. “No matter how many others you are with, say your observations, questions, and connections out loud.”

d. “You might choose to move around and study differentthings, or you might find something really interesting andexciting and stay with it for a while.”

11. Offer any relevant safety precautions and set boundariesbased on the needs of your students and the area they’reexploring, then send them off.

12. As students work, take time to circulate, troubleshoot,and engage students in conversation about what they’renoticing.

a. (Optional) If a group of students finds something espe-cially cool or interesting, call the whole class over, thenask students to share their observations, questions, andconnections out loud.

DISCUSSIONFacilitate a discussion with the general discussion questions.

General Discussion

a. “What are some things you learned through your observa-tions, thinking, and questioning?”

b. “What skills do you feel like you just got better at?”

c. “Are there any other places where you could use yourobservation skills to learn?”

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES

A Routine to Use Anytime

INIWIRMO can become a regular part of instruction. Use it as the entry point for students’ learning whenever they encounter an

unfamiliar phenomenon or whenever you are beginning a lesson or unit of curriculum.

Once a group of students knows this routine, it can be applied on a moment’s notice. When a bird lands nearby, you can tell students “Quick! While the bird is here, let’s see what you can learn about it using your observation skills. Go!” By the time the bird flies away, your group will have made rich and detailed observations. You can ask, “What were some of the most inter-esting observations you made or heard one of your classmates say? What were some questions that came up? What things did this remind you of?” Responses will come flooding back. These responses can be recorded in journals or included in future meaning-making discussions that take place as a class.

Thinking on the Page

This routine can become a foundation of students’ journaling. Students can record written or sketched “I notice, I wonder, It reminds me ofs” in any future journaling activity. If students are unsure where to begin, or get stuck, they can always fall back to noticing, wondering, and making connections.

Working in Other Disciplines

I Notice, I Wonder, It Reminds Me Of can enrich any subject, not just nature observation. The prompts in this activity are sentence frames you can use in active reading strategies or to help students analyze art. Similar frameworks are sometimes used in theater, where actors develop characters by writing down what they notice, wonder, and are reminded of while reading a script. Using these three sentence starters can be a way to begin to write poems or other creative works. Many mindfulness practices center on the act of noticing, separating the observations from interpretations of them. This use of the routine can become a part of students’ social emotional learning, helping them slow down and develop self-regulation. Share these connections with students and ask them if they can think of any other uses of the routine.

© John Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren 2020 Excerpted from the book How to Teach Nature Journaling,

published by Heyday books.